The COVID-19 crisis has brought many new challenges as employers are navigating bringing furloughed staff back to the workplace. When employees are asked to return to work, they are required to return, unless they have good cause for refusing the offer.

• Section 402(a) of PA Unemployment Compensation Law states that an employee could be ineligible for compensation for any week in which their unemployment status is due to the refusal of suitable work, without good cause. Determining whether there was good cause for a refusal of work is based upon each claimant’s circumstances.
• The Office of Unemployment Compensation has created a new form, UC-1921W, so employers can notify the department that suitable work was refused. This form must be submitted by the employer within seven days from when the return to work offer was made.
• During the current COVID-19 crisis, employees could refuse to return to work because they are at high risk of complications from the virus and their employer cannot make reasonable accommodations, or they are being asked to return to work at reduced hours that result in earning less than they did prior to the layoff. UC staff will review specific reasons like these and make determinations based on the facts of each individual case.

Read Employer UC & COVID19 FAQs for more information and helpful guidelines.

Recently, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee created a website to assist the public and stakeholders in understanding where federal COVID-19 funds are being allocated. While the information is relatively general at this point, this website is expected to be periodically updated to provide more detail, including:

• Monthly obligations and expenditures on federal assistance awards and contracts related to COVID-19 funds as reported by participating agencies.
• Relevant operational, economic, financial, grant, subgrant, contract, subcontract and other information on recipients of COVID-19 funds.

Downloadable, machine-readable, open format reports on covered funds as well as mapped funding information are searchable by state and zip code. Find the website here.

A new Pennsylvania law (Act 9 of 2020) signed by Governor Wolf on March 27, 2020 requires Pennsylvania employers to provide notice to employees about unemployment compensation benefits at the time of separation from employment or when an employee’s work hours are reduced. The PA Department of Labor has released a form to assist employers in complying with this new requirement, Form UC-1609. Employers should complete this form and provide it to employees at the time of separation. Additionally, Act 9 of 2020 provides relief from charges to employers for claims related to the COVID-19 outbreak and waives the one week waiting period for employees. Unlike the notification requirement amendments, these changes will expire on January 1, 2021.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has sent three teams to Pennsylvania to assist with the COVID-19 response. These teams are working to become familiar with the situation across the state so they can begin aiding locations in need. There are two teams assisting long-term care facilities and one team assisting food facility outbreaks. The CDC teams will be onsite in Pennsylvania for two weeks to help in the response using their expertise. These teams will help assess the situation, teach infection control practices, and offer training on personal protective equipment (PPE) and outbreak response at the facilities they visit. Read more here.

This guidance aims provide more clarity for “parents, summer camp operators, public bathing places, part-day school-age programs, and other entities that provide necessary child care and enrichment and recreational activities for children and youth during the summer months.”

The guidance can be viewed here

These recommendations cover issues involving “shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), cloth face coverings, disinfectants, and sanitation supplies in the food and agriculture industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.”  This also provides guidance on how to source “supplies, including through private sector suppliers and state emergency management agencies.”  In addition, these recommendations provide insight on what “Food and Agriculture stakeholders should provide when ordering or requesting these supplies.”

See the release here

On April 2, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) posted an interim final rule announcing the implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act temporarily adds a new program, titled the “Paycheck Protection Program,” to the SBA’s 7(a) Loan Program. The CARES Act also provides for forgiveness of up to the full principal amount of qualifying loans guaranteed under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is intended to provide economic relief to small businesses nationwide adversely impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SBA posted additional interim final rules on April 3, 2020, April 14, 2020, April 24, 2020, April 28, 2020, April 30, 2020, May 5, 2020, May 8, 2020, May 13, 2020, May 14, 2020, May 18, 2020, and May 20, 2020, and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) posted an additional interim final rule on April 27, 2020. This interim final rule supplements the previously posted interim final rules in order to help PPP borrowers prepare and submit loan forgiveness applications as provided for in the CARES Act, help PPP lenders who will be making the loan forgiveness decisions, inform borrowers and lenders of SBA’s process for reviewing PPP loan applications and loan forgiveness applications, and requests public comment.

Read the requirements for the Loan Forgiveness Program:  IFR Forgivenss FINAL

May 20, 2020